A New Puzzle: Quest For The Teumessian Fox
by ShadowedLamp
Summary: Percy Jackson and Annabeth are given a quest to capture the Teumessian Fox, which is the center of a new prophecy. Fate decrees that the fox cannot be caught. They have two weeks, before their quest is given to others. At the same time, a new camper arrives at Camp Halfblood. After the near defeat of Olympus a few weeks ago, can the camp take any more trouble?
1. Ezra 1

_Author's note:_

_I don't own Percy Jackson, series one or series two. I don't plan on writing anything over the top awful, nothing that wouldn't be read in the actual books, but I decided to put a T anyway, in case some little kids somehow manages to scar themselves with my content. This fic is about Percy and Annabeth, but I'll write it Kane Chronicles style, so I'll alternate between my Percy and my oc, but not every chapter, and definitely not in between chapters. Every two chapters sounds like a fair number to change point of view.  
_

_Also, if anyone can guess my Oc's parent, I'll be super impressed._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**_My Chemistry Teacher Gives Me A Knife_**

The teacher pacing back and forth reminded me of the teachers I'd seen in Charlie Brown. They never seemed to say anything useful, or that made any sense. _Blah, blah, blah._

I sank my head down on the desk, playing with the bronze pocket knife in my pocket. Apparently he'd left it to my mom for me, right before he disappeared. I couldn't understand why he'd left. Mom was amazing. If it wasn't mom, it had to be me, right? Then why leave me a present like this? So I could impale myself on it? Not much chance of that happening. I was better with this blade than that. Still, it made me wonder.

Technically, blades weren't allowed in the school premises, but I always ignored that rule. Everyone who saw my knife did too, as if it wasn't there. It was funny, kids acted as if it was a pencil or something, and teachers just flat out didn't notice. Not like I was going to tell them or anything. Maybe they thought it was okay for me to have it because I was special.

It wasn't any secret. I'd been visiting the school counselor for ages about my hallucinations. Snakes, ravens with deadly evil teeth, giant men with one eye… Things like that, I kept seeing them in the dorm area, in the park outside the school walls, at the stores I'd buy my junk food from… I'd tried to tell her, but she'd spouted something about it maybe being related to my ADHD. I was in a new place, anxious to do well, missing my mom, and having trouble connecting to other people. I was under stress. Stressed mixed with a restless imagination might give me trouble with hallucinating. Sleep deprivation might help. Something like that.

Somehow, I couldn't quite believe that.

I messed with my bronze knife under the table, creating new scratches under the desktop. It was really too early in the morning to be at school. I could afford to wake up a little later than seven to get here… The dorm was on the campus, all I had to do was walk through the front door to get to school. Why bother with breakfast…

Before I knew it, it was slumping forward in my chair, eyes half closed. I'd never been fully awake at second period anyway, so this wasn't actually out of the ordinary. Just like that, I was asleep, dozing on my chemistry textbook, and too tired to hope that she wouldn't notice.

A loud noise, like a BANG! Woke me out of that daze. I couldn't have slept too long, right? A couple kids giggled, some outright laughed. Others pretended to be busy doing some kind of conversion problem. "Ezra Brooke… Is my class too boring for you to stay awake in it?" My teacher asked.

Mrs. Hall probably had been pretty a couple decades ago, but now she just looked rather scary. She had bags under her blue eyes, and her lips were pale and thin, like they'd lost weight. She was maybe eight inches taller than me, which wasn't saying a whole lot, because I was one of the shortest girls in our class. Not a midget, mind you, but not especially tall. Her face was a shade paler than her lips, and she had a mop of wavy black hair swamping it. She usually kept it back in a ponytail, but not today. Today she wore a headband, probably because we weren't going to have a lab any time soon. She always seemed to be frowning, as if the world wasn't matching up right, just to throw her off, and she was determined not to let anything catch her by surprise. Usually, she wore bright colored clothes (maybe to shock people into staying awake, I doubted that would work), with a lab apron over them. Today she was wearing a lime green skirt with a neon yellow top.

"Um… I think I caught most of it. Something about the boiling point?" I answered hopefully.

"And hydrogen bonding." She scowled, as if it was a major detail. Maybe it was, but I couldn't keep all the facts straight in my head.

"Yes, yes of course. Hydrogen bonding. Silly of me." I added. Forgetting that I still was holding my pocket knife (I hadn't managed to drop it in my sleep), I brought my hands out from under the desk, and made motions with my hand, attempting to illustrate what she'd been saying, as well as I could understand it. "So like, the molecules are stuck together really closely because of hydrogen bonding, and this makes the boiling point a higher temperature than other liquids because—" I blanked. "Um… because they have so much energy?"

Mrs. Hall's lips twitched, as if she was forcing a smile. "Not quite." Her eyes traveled down to my hand, holding the pocket knife. I thought I saw triumph enter her expression, but she grabbed her confiscation box. "Knives are not allowed in this school. Put it in."

I looked around. It seemed that the other kids were just noticing for the first time that I owned a knife. "Umm… can we just call this a warning?" I asked weakly. Her expression chilled me, and I decided there was really no point in acting like I was innocent. Still, something inside me was reluctant to part with it, in spite of the fact that I could get it back after class. Reluctantly, I dropped my pocket knife in the box.

"I'll want to talk to you after class." She informed me. I felt like my blood was freezing. Something about staying after class didn't appeal to me.

The bell rang.

I stood up like all the other kids, but hesitated, and came to the back of the class, where her desk was.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. No doubt I'd get some kind of awful punishment, or something, or chewed out. I was sick of being chewed out by teachers, and pretty sure I didn't need any more.

"Yes." The answer was cold, clear, and decisive. She took down the confiscation box that had my knife in it. There was a collection of cell phones, some candy, and a few other things that weren't allowed at school, but kids kept bringing anyway.

I considered saying something, but breaking the silence didn't seem like the best choice, so I waited for her to break it for me.

"You were careless today. You should know that the world isn't as safe as you might think. You never know who is watching."

"Um… Yes ma'am?" I wondered whether she was talking about going to sleep on the desk, or accidentally exposing my knife. Either way, she shouldn't be telling me to work harder to get away with it, she should be telling me that I needed to follow the rules better. Something about this was off.

"You understand?"

"I—I guess so…" I stammered.

She nodded. "Good. Now, hurry and take your knife out. You should be on your guard better from now on!"

I didn't protest. I pulled my pocket knife out of the box, and back into my pocket.

"Now go! You'll be late for your next class!" Mrs. Hall shoved me through the door, as I tried to get a grip on what was happening to me. I knew she didn't particularly care for me, she and all the other teachers got this look when I came into their class. "_Oh no! It's Ezra! Batten down the hatches, make sure nothing breakable is in view. Put her in the front seat, maybe that'll induce her to behave."_

It wasn't that I meant to misbehave… I just kind of did. Still, they all had this look, even (and especially) her. So it was kind of weird having her give me something back that I shouldn't even HAVE in school, and have her tell me to keep from getting caught next time. What was THAT about?

I didn't have much time to think about it. I only had time for a quick detour at my locker before I had to run to the next class. I kept my pocket knife safely tucked into my pocket. It was silly to carry it around, but for some reason, I felt spooked about having it back, and felt determined not to let it leave me, if I could help it.

Most of the rest of the day passed without any real exciting things happening. After school, I decided to walk around the grounds. I wasn't supposed to go into the forest area, but I decided to anyway.

The forest was a small collection of trees. Nothing impressive. It only got its name, because there was a small cluster of trees that you couldn't see all the way through. Still, the whole "forest" was probably only about twenty yards from one side to the other. It was calm and made it easier for me to think, usually. I just got away from all the noise everyone else was making.

I couldn't forget about Mrs. Hall, her warning… As if people would notice my weapon. Such an unteacherlike stand to take… And along with my hallucinations, I felt like I couldn't get any real peace. I'd brought my cell phone with me. Maybe I'd call my mom… But I knew that if I called her, I'd just worry her, and nothing seemed like it was a very big deal, just weird.

I was about to sit down on a rock, when I realized that I wasn't alone. On the other side of the forest, about seven yards from me, stood a woman. She seemed really beautiful at first, long wavy black hair, lavender colored eyes, and her lips were full and red. Her skin was pale as her white dress, and something seemed off about her, like she was dying of some kind of disease or something. I vaguely noticed that her lateral incisors were a little longer, kind of like fangs, which I can tell you creeped me out a lot. She was like some kind of creepy, modern vampire.

She looked straight at me, and when I realized that she'd noticed me, I felt chilled, the way I had that morning coming out of Chemistry.

"So, I've found a meal at last." Her voice was like running water, clean and smooth sounding. It was really beautiful, there was no doubt about that. But somehow, being called someone's meal distracts one from the beauty of somebodies voice.

"M-meal?" I stammered, ripping the pocket knife out of my pocket.

"Oh yes." She grinned, and suddenly, she didn't seem at all beautiful. "You see, it's been a long time since anything worth eating has come to this territory."

"Are you a vampire?" Perhaps it was a stupid question, knowing that you're going to die, but I couldn't help wondering just now. Those fangs.

"Why, no." She stated, taking a step closer. "Not really. I'm known as a Lamia, actually." She licked her lips, revealing that her tongue was long and forked like a snake's.

Just like my hallucinations. Or at least, that's what she seemed like. The same kind of energy. She'd probably explode into dust like my other hallucinations had too.

"Don't come near me!" My voice was hoarse, but I took a step back, and another, hoping to back out of the woods fast enough to get away from this _Lamia_.

Her laugh rang out clear and sweet. I turned and fled.

She was on my heels, I could tell, so I didn't look back. I wouldn't be a meal for this creature, even if it was just a figment of my imagination. It wouldn't happen. Still, I couldn't stop. I couldn't fight this thing, at least, probably not very well. I didn't know anything about fighting, and all I really had was a pocket knife. I was a kid, and whatever creature that thing called itself, it would be waaaay stronger than me.

Chemistry Lab. Maybe I'd get lucky. If I could break in… that hope died. All those chemicals, I had no idea where they were stored. And given my luck, I would just create some kind of harmless concoction that would make the monster blink, and then continue with its dinner plans.

I ran up toward the library, and ducked behind some potted plants, under a computer table, and to the other side of the building, hiding behind a couch. There was no way that that thing could have visually tracked my progress…

I dialed up my mom. I wasn't supposed to have a phone in the library, but I was breaking all kinds of rules, so I figured, why stop?

The answering machine picked up. I mentally groaned.

Why? Why now of all times? I was about to be devoured by a creepy vampire woman, and she was probably teaching some collage kids a function of some Greek participle. Darn it!

"Um, mom?" I whispered. "I'm having hallucinations… thought you might like to know. One of them is trying to kill me." Wow. I even sounded lame to myself. "Um… have a good week?" I hung up just as Lamia's face came over the back of the couch.

"There you are!" She hissed.

I did the only thing that came naturally, and stabbed her straight in the face with my pocket knife.

She exploded into dust, and scattered everywhere.


	2. Ezra 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_**I'm Welcomed Into The House Of Thieves**_

Over the course of the next week, things seemed to go wrong more and more often. I hated that I'd called my mom, it was probably the silliest thing I could have done. She really was worried now, and I had to tell her about all the different things I'd been seeing.

What's worse, she didn't just treat it like it would go away if I kept going to the counselor. She acted as if it was a long term thing that couldn't be fixed. Her panic began to rub off on me.

What if I was crazy? What if it was a problem that would end? I'd go on getting more and more violent, probably hazardous to everyone around me, and then one day, they'd lock me in an institution or something. Thoughts like that didn't help me study for any of my tests. I knew I was going to fail chemistry. Chemistry was the most disturbing class now. I'd been hallucinating stuff before, but it all seemed so much more intense that day… Maybe because of the drama surrounding my knife.

I looked in a mirror, and grimaced. My mom was going to pick me up today. She'd managed to get a vacation from her job and pulled me out of the school for a few days. She wouldn't tell me what it was about, but I already knew that the hallucinations had something to do with it. As much as it bothered me, I had to admit that I was ready to see her again.

I heard the car drive up, and ran to see her. She was just like she'd been when I saw her last semester.

She was five inches or so taller than me, with thick, curly, dirty-blonde hair. She used to wear it up in a bun, but lately she'd become convinced that it would be easier if it was short, so she'd cut it to about ear-length. She wasn't thin, but she wasn't overweight either. Still, she was always self-conscious about it, trying not to eat too much gluten or sugar. Her light blue eyes glittered from her face, smiling almost as brilliantly as the grin she was giving me. It felt like home had just driven all the way to me, and gotten out of the car.

"Mom!" I yelled, running at her.

She hugged me tightly, as if she never wanted to let me go. "Aw, Ezra!" She held me at arms' length, and looked me up and down. "You look like you've gained some weight! That's good. And you're not as pale either. It's been good for you, hasn't it?"

I shrugged. "I guess. It's felt like torture though."

Her smile faded a little. "I'm sorry. I'd hoped that things would work out better here…"

"No, no, that's not it!" I felt guilty for complaining, and attempted to reassure her. "It's really great! I just meant… Oh man, the PE exercises! They could knock a person flat!" I spread my hands apart in a wide, dramatic gesture, hoping it would make her think I was just exaggerating, and basically being my regular dramatic self.

"Mrs. Brooke!"

I heard my dorm dad's voice and deflated a little. Oh well. A person couldn't get something for nothing, and since I was going to get a vacation, I could handle not being out of here immediately.

"Oh, Jackie if you don't mind." My mom was instantly reserved, waiting until we could be alone again before we could catch up. She hated being called 'Mrs. Brooke' because it made her feel old.

"Jackie! How was your trip?" I tried not to scowl. As if he cared. He thought I was bohemian, and though I'd never heard him say anything about my mom, I wouldn't put it past him. He and his wife didn't have a high opinion of me, and I felt guilty, knowing it might reflect badly on my mom.

"It was good. Nothing eventful happened."

"I'm glad to hear that. Ezra, do you want to go get your things?"

I nodded, and ran to get it.

In my suitcase was everything I had brought with me. My laptop, phone, and clothes. I had a picture of me and my mom when I was little, a Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood poster, some pictures I had drawn, and a deck of cards. That was all that I needed to live on. Even if it was only for a few days, I wanted to bring as much with me as I could. Taking down everything would give me the illusion that I was leaving for a lot longer. And mom had managed to pull me out for a couple weeks, so I never knew what I would want, wherever we were going.

I lugged it down the stairs and out into the parking space where my mom's car was. I saw her still there, talking to my dorm parent as if she was trying to find the best way to survive the conversation politely. My dorm dad didn't seem to notice, so I decided to try to save her.

"Hey mom! I've got it!" I shouted triumphantly, yanking it after me. I felt full of energy, as if someone had just given me a coke, and a piece of chocolate cake.

"That's good Ezra." She replied, turning to open the trunk of the car. It was a convertible. Tiny, blue, and easy to maintain. The roof was up today, and I wasn't sure whether to be happy about that or not. I decided to be happy about it, because it meant that I couldn't hallucinate any killer pigeons. I stuck the suitcase in the best I could, and shut the trunk.

"I'm afraid we have to go, Darrel. Thanks for taking care of her for me!" My mom said, effectively shutting off the conversation. She climbed in the drivers' side, and I took the shotgun seat.

We talked for a while, about different people at school, any friends I might have sort of managed to make, and various events. I noticed that she steered very clear of my hallucinations. Not that I minded, of course. I was tired of thinking about it too, so I just left it there. After a while, I got tired of talking about school, and asked her about how work was going. Apparently life was getting harder. There was a new professor that worked hard to make my mom's life difficult. He'd say things about her behind her back to the other students, and make jokes about her, and just basically try to make her appear stupid in front of everyone. As much as he could, he worked hard to make her life miserable. The school was changing its policies, she was getting more and more paperwork to do, etc.

"I'm on the edge right now, as it is," she confided. "But I'm still friends with a few people in key places. They let me take a vacation for a couple days, so I thought we might as well enjoy it."

We didn't talk much after that. She never said where we were going, and I didn't really care, long as I could keep enjoying myself like this. She let the roof down, and I lost myself in the wind blowing in my face around the windshield. It was my favorite thing about this car, the whole point of it being the way it was.

I don't remember what happened most of the drive. I may have just watched the scenery for a long time, and maybe I took a nap. At any rate, we stopped at a restaurant somewhere in Manhattan for lunch. The vanilla milkshake, and cheeseburger were amazing. It was the first (legal) junkfood I'd had since I'd gotten to school.

Manhattan was big. I had a hard time taking it all in. The school I had been attending was somewhere between South Plainfield, and Bridgewater, so I knew we'd traveled around thirty-seven miles.

I looked up from my burger. "Hey mom, where exactly are we going?"

She didn't say anything for a minute. I didn't think she wouldn't put me off though, she usually made it a priority to tell me about things. Even when I was a little kid, she'd told me about stuff. My report card, her job, if we were moving, stuff about economics… She'd treated me like I had common sense, and a right to know things about what was going on. I never held anything back from her either, until it got to these hallucinations. I felt like I could share anything with her, just because she did with me.

She heaved a big sigh. "There's this summer camp that your father wanted me to send you to. That's where we're headed. I have a feeling that it'll make things easier for you."

I stared at her. "A summer camp?"

She nodded. "School is over in two weeks. You're going to skip the finals, and just go straight to summer camp."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Why?" I asked. I wasn't sure what to think about it all, I was just a little shaken. I'd assumed that things would continue in a particular way, and my ideas were thwarted. It was almost like getting ready to sit down in a chair, and then having it jump away from you just as you were sitting. And even while I hated to admit it, I'd gotten sort of used to my school. My milkshake suddenly didn't taste so good.

She took a big drink of her own milkshake. I guessed that she wasn't avoiding sugar today. "Your hallucinations. I figured that it was something they could help you with."

"Can they do that?"

"Ezra… You haven't been hallucinating. The things that you've been seeing, they were real."

"But… No one else could see them."

She shook her head. "It's because they can't. You're special, Ezra. Not entirely mortal like they are."

I blinked. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not going to explain it all. I'd mix everything up. You'll understand when you get to camp."

"Okay." If she didn't want to tell me, she had a good reason for it, I was certain of that. "So, if I'm going to be at summer camp, where will you be staying?"

"I'll probably be going home."

I felt the excitement that had been in me all day partially die. "Oh."

"I'd be here longer if I could, but I'm not allowed to go into the camp."

"Why not?"

"People like me aren't allowed in."

"People like you? What's wrong with you?"

"The camp was designed for people like you, Ezra. Nothing's wrong with me, but I can't go in."

"Does that mean that you're a 'entirely mortal'?"

"Yes."

Lunch was over, so mom paid for our meals, and we left. The drive out seemed a lot longer, and not nearly as peaceful or beautiful. There wasn't much to say, so neither of us talked. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what else she hadn't told me, what she was waiting to explain until I got to camp.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I was poked awake, we'd stopped moving. We were at the base of a hill with a giant pine tree at the top. The place had strawberry fields all over it, and people moving around inside. There were sure a lot of people there for it being only a summer camp. I didn't really care.

"I got your suitcase for you." My mom pointed to where it was leaning against the car. "Can you get it up the hill by yourself?"

"Yes, I think so." Suddenly, I was apprehensive about going all on my own. "They aren't going to just let me walk in, will they? I mean, it's a summer camp, don't I have to get registered or something?"

"No. Just go in, and ask to see the director. I'm sure everything will work out from there. I did write to them before I came, so someone should be expecting you."

"Oh." I felt tired. For a moment, I wanted to go back to sleep in the car. "Okay."

She gave me one last hug. "I'll write to you, okay?"

"Okay."

She let me go, and smiled again. "You better go. I love you!"

I nodded, and grabbed my suitcase. "I love you mom."

It sounds cheesy, but I dare you to go to a boarding school, not see your parents, then see them for one day, and find out you won't get to see them for the rest of the summer. What would you say?

There wasn't any real fence that I could tell. It seemed like anyone could just walk in, which made me more and more bewildered as to why she couldn't come with me. Maybe she wanted me to keep trying to do things on my own. But still… I was only fifteen, how independent did I have to be?

Kids were running around all over the place. Some of them were my age, a few were older, and then there were plenty of younger ones running around. Just about any variety of people you can imagine was there. There was one big building, where I figured the director probably was. Accordingly I made my way in that direction. Some kids stared at me, others pretended this was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was, I had no way of knowing.

The house was huge. Easily two stories, and it had a large front porch. On the porch were two men and two kids playing a game. I thought at first that I was seeing double, but then, I realized that the two kids were twins. Both had straight blonde hair, a little darker than mine, and glasses. One had thick black rimmed glasses, and the other had wire rimmed glasses. The one with wire rimmed glasses had a reserved calculating look, and the other had a mischievous calculating look. It was the difference between someone thinking about a math question, and someone thinking about how to cheat on the math test without getting caught.

One of the men had hair so jet black that it almost looked purple. He was a little intimidating, red faced with bloodshot blue eyes. His shirt was almost as bright as my Chemistry teachers' and almost as tacky. A crazy Hawaiian shirt and purple running shoes shouldn't be bright enough to blind a person, but they almost did. The other man was in a wheelchair, and had a tweed jacket. His hair was brown, and thinning, and his eyes were a dark, chocolate brown. He looked like a teacher you might find at your regular high school. It was odd seeing him here, and it made me wonder why my mom said she couldn't come up.

I felt really awkward lugging my suitcase around, especially with all the people giving me weird looks. I stopped it at the porch, and climbed up, leaving my suitcase on the ground.

"Ah, excuse me… Can I talk to the …um… director?" I mumbled, wishing I could disappear. I wasn't sure who I was addressing, but the guy in the tacky Hawaiian shirt looked up at me.

"Who are you?" He asked, looking bored with his life.

"Ah… My name's Ezra… um…" I paused trying to remember last night as I looked at his bloodshot eyes. They weren't making me feel any better, and I had to try hard to resist the urge to run away. "Ezra Brooke. I think my mom maybe contacted him about …letting me stay here for the summer?" I shifted from one foot to the other.

"I'm the director. You can call me Mr. D." He paused, as if thinking over whether he wanted to even have me here or not. "Yes, your mother did contact me. I suppose you also want an armed escort to show you where to stay?"

I wondered if 'D' stood for something, and what it might be, but his question left me even more embarrassed. "I wouldn't want to bother an armed escort, but um… If I'm going to stay here, which, I kinda guess I am, since you seemed to imply that I was when you mentioned where I was staying. I mean, whether an armed escort should show me to there, or um…"

"Please stop blabbering and get to the point!" The purple haired man snapped.

I colored. "What I mean is, I don't need an armed escort. Just directions. I wouldn't want to get in anyone's wa—"

Mr. D ignored me, and tossed his cards down. "It was a bad hand anyway. Joel, please take her to the Hermes cabin."

The two boys set down their cards at exactly the same time, so I couldn't tell which was Joel. Both looked up at me. I could still see the differences in their expressions, both calculating, but one purely reserved and closed off, and the other mischievous and interested in what was going on.

"Sure Mr. D." The one with the black framed glasses answered finally. I decided that this must be Joel, since he'd been given the task. His voice reminded me of coffee, in a way. It was probably a tenor's voice, strong and beautiful all at the same time, but not really drawing attention to itself.

He and his brother got up and walked me down the stairs. I pulled my suitcase onto a pathway, and stopped.

Joel held out his hand and I took it, Texan style. He had a firm handshake. It made me feel a little wistful. He seemed to ooze confidence, which was one of the main things that I lacked. "I'm Joel Clark. This is my brother, Luke." He released my hand, and indicated his brother. "You'll be staying in the Hermes cabin."

He started down the path, and I wondered why the cabin I'd be staying in was named after a Greek god. Luke didn't say anything. I figured he was shy, reserved, or just too good to be around me. It was hard to tell, so I decided to pay more attention to Joel.

I wanted to ask about not being completely mortal or whatever my mom had been talking about at the restaurant, but I figured he'd just laugh at me, and I didn't want to set myself up for further embarrassment. "Why's it called the Hermes cabin?" I asked instead, giving way to a little of my curiosity.

"It's called that because that's where Hermes' kids go." He answered. "Hermes kids, or any undetermined campers."

I frowned. "What does 'undetermined' mean?"

"It means anyone who doesn't know who their godly parent is."

"What do you mean? How do you know who your godly parent is?"

Joel concentrated for a minute. I guessed he was trying to weigh his words to make them make more sense. "Well, sometimes your mortal parent knows. Or the gods claim you."

I gave him a skeptical look. "You make it sounds like they exist."

Both his eyebrows shot up. "Of course they do. You're a halfblood too. I can tell, because you're here. If you were a regular mortal, you couldn't have gotten through the boarderline."

"Wait. What? No! What's a halfblood?" I stammered, trying to figure out how to respond to this piece of information.

"It's a child of one of the gods and a mortal." He said patiently, as if it should be obvious. I began to get frustrated. This guy must just be crazy.

"The gods aren't real." I stated, taking a step back with my suitcase. "I mean, they're just stories. Myths. History. It's what we study to understand the ancient Greek culture. Besides, my dad isn't a god. I know who he is!"

"Oh yeah? Who is he then?" Joel countered. Unlike me, he didn't seem flustered or disturbed. It wasn't that his tone was insulting, more like he was allowing me to lay all my evidence against his claim down, so he could disprove everything I was saying.

Well, I don't really KNOW who he is. But he was someone from Europe, who was important. He went back to Europe after... After I was born."

Joel shook his head. "That man back there, Mr. D., he's Dionysius, the wine god. So I know that the gods exist. Your dad… He was definitely a god. That's the usual story that people tell when they don't know about their dad." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're probably ADHD and dyslexic, right?"

Well, whatever. If he wanted to believe it, he could I wasn't buying it. "Well, ADHD. I don't have any problems with dyslexia."

"Huh... most of us read Greek better than English. The words just float off the page in English."

I felt a little guilty. Greek was easier for me too.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't get all of this. I probably couldn't remember HALF the Greek myths. It was impressive that I remembered that Hermes was a god. But when your mom is a Greek professor, stuff rubs off. Before I was in first grade, she had gotten hyped up about teaching me Koine, or ancient Greek. It was a little easier than English, and I found it easier to read and write in my room, or in a library where it was quiet.

I decided not to mention my other studies.

"Okay. So what are the other cabins?" I had trouble taking them all in. Marble, bronze, gold cabins… They all had statues, logos, decorations, and other things that stood out. Not one of them looked like any of the others. They did seem a bit extravagant, and not at all the way I pictured cabins to look at a summer camp.

"That's cabin one," Joel pointed at one of the cabins. "Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve. Those are the cabins of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysius, respectively. The other cabins, the ones being built now, those are the cabins of the minor gods, and then Hades, who was a major god, but up till now never had a cabin of his own before."

It was a lot of information to take in. "So I'm in the eleventh cabin?"

"Yes." He answered, probably hoping that had answered all of my questions. Before I could ask anymore, we got to the door of cabin eleven. He knocked at the door, then called, "Travis!"

An elfish looking boy with upraised eyebrows, a sharp nose, and a smile more mischievous than Joel's previous expression. He couldn't have been more than a year or two older than me. I vaguely remembered that Hermes was the god of thieves. I found his story most bizarre, maybe that's why I remembered him. Just standing near Travis made me want to check my pockets, even though I never kept anything in them.

"This is a new camper, Ezra Brooke." Joel turned back to me. "Ezra, this is Travis Stoll. He's the counselor of the Hermes cabin. Until you're determined, you'll be under his care."

Travis smiled. "Hi Ezra. Try and find a space for your sleeping bag, on the floor, if you can." Even though he was smiling, I could sense disappointment. I was just an undetermined camper, I didn't really belong here. Still, it was nice of him to welcome me.

A horn of some sort sounded, and everyone lined up. I guessed that maybe it was time to dinner. It was starting to get later after all.

Joel and Luke disappeared, and I was left alone with the children of the god of thieves. Naturally, I took the back of the line, and followed the others to the open pavilion where we would eat.


End file.
